PUBLIC consultation for Bathurst’s new entry statement has so far found that residents want it to recognise more about the city than just Mount Panorama.
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Bathurst Regional Council, dsb landscaping architects and Regional Integrated Marketing representatives held a public forum on Tuesday to get more input from residents on the entrance statement.
The public forum is one of several methods, including an online survey and consultation with community groups, being used to get feedback.
At the forum, the representatives asked members of the public to share what Bathurst means to them.
The groups will later use this information to form a style and designs for the entrance statement.
Stuart Driver said Bathurst’s history with gold could be recognised in the entrance statement with a sculpture of miner Bernhardt Holtermann and the gold specimen found in the region.
However, he noted that people coming to Bathurst would rather see Mount Panorama than anything else significant to the city.
“Outside of the community, you mention ‘Bathurst’ and people say ‘Oh, that’s where the race is’ and the rest of it is missed. So, I suppose you look at something like this and it is the racing fans when they come to town that you need to sell this to,” he said.
The forum did not attract many suggestions for items that could be part of the entrance statement, but there was a lot of discussion of significant things in Bathurst and its history.
These included heritage buildings, local identities, education, important industries to the region, the Wiradjuri people and the city’s sense of community.
The forum also drew discussion about the size of the entrance statement, whether it would become a tourist destination and if it would conflict with the purpose of the Bathurst Visitor and Information Centre.
Anyone who would like to give feedback on the entrance statement should complete the survey on yoursay.bathurst.nsw.gov.au.
The survey will be available until Friday, August 18.
Feedback will be reviewed after this date to develop the entrance statement.